LaserMax guide rod laser.

This is a discussion on LaserMax guide rod laser. within the Defensive Carry Guns forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; I see there is a $60.00 mail in rebate on them right now. (Just a heads up)
They look like a nice add on to ...

I asked a shooting buddy who's also on a Regional Drug Enforcement Task Force about LaserMax (guide rod) vs Crimson Trace. He said they didn't allow LM guide rods in duty pistols because of the highly unlikely outside chance of a piece breaking-off and jamming the gun. Why take ANY chance that you can completely avoid by having the laser outside the gun? I picked Crimson Trace for my G19.

I can't figure out how they maintain any accuracy with those. The guide rod moves around a fair amount on most guns by design. It just doesn't seem like it would be a very stable platform for a laser. However, I shoot with 2 guys that have them and their gen 3 G19 and G17 and theirs are very accurate indeed. Magic I suppose. neither of them has mentioned ever adjusting or breaking one either and they get a lot of use.

I had one for a little while on a beretta - didn't care for it much... Did the laser think in the 1990s. But, it worked fine. I haven't really seen any legitimate complains on any of the forums over the years...

My experiences were with a Lasermax made for a glock 27 so others may have different features
Pros Well made and unobtrusive, pulsing laser easier to pick up than regular constant dot. Adds steel full length guide rod
Cons Expensive, No way to adjust impact (but at close range in the dark yes it will hit your target), On the glock it uses a longer slide release lever. You push this to one side or the other to activate. The design lended itself to beinging turned on in the holster and no way of knowing it was on. So I sold it. Battery life is gonna be pretty short.

My brother has a LM guide rod for his Beretta 92A1 and he likes it, but got really jealous when he saw my CT grips and played with them for a bit. In a quick defensive situation, I can see the benefit of having the laser activated by the pressure of a natural grip on the weapon rather than an extra move to flip a switch to activate the guide rod laser. To each his own, but my vote would be for CT over LM if you have that option.

I had a Lasermax on my S&W 5903 for a while. It worked great for a couple years, then one time when I went to clean the gun, it just fell apart. I was unable to get it back together, so I just put the gun back to original state.

I have what's left of one for the Glock 19. I was not happy with it. These are the reasons why:

It wasn't adjustable.

It wasn't as easy to find the laser in daylight as I'd thought it would be when I bought it.

It was easy to see at night as long as the rail light was off. I plan to turn on the rail light for positive ID before firing on an invader. I have relatives living all around me, wouldn't want to shoot one of them who was trying to get me out of a burning house. Positive ID of target required, so I have the rail light on the Glock 19 at night.

It turned on and off when it wanted to, not when I wanted it to. I could turn it on, first shot it might turn off. If I hadn't turned it on, it might turn itself on. To that extent it wasn't reliable. I'd rather do with out it than have it be unreliable.

One day after getting frustrated with it turning itself on and off while I was trying to practice at the range I field stripped the gun to replace it with the original guide rod/spring. When I did that it fell apart and the end cap got lost in the grass near the bench at the range. Looked for it but never found it. It's been disfunctional ever since. I could probably order a replacement cap for it but never did.

At that point I put the original guide rod and spring back in. The one real plus of the guide rod design was it fit in all my existing holsters. If I ever get another laser, it will be one that is grip activated like the Crimson Trace my wife has on her .357.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety), by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” by H. L. Mencken

I have one in my Glock 30. Never any issues, battery has been in it for over two years and still shining strong. Never once had any unintentional activation with any holster, and if you practice activation when drawing it becomes second nature. As far as accuracy, where the red dot goes, a nice hole appears.

And the biggest plus: I used it successfully in a real situation. A BG wouldn't drop his gun and me and two partners were about to shoot him. When the laser hit his chest, he dropped his gun like a hot rock, and he tried to brush the red dot off his chest with his hand!

I wouldn't mind having a laser grip from CT, but the G30 grip is already bulky enough. The activation issue is a matter of training with Lasermax, but I do agree the laser grip has the edge on Lasermax for more instinctual activation, not to mention price. You might have trouble with a laser grip interfering with proper fit in certain holsters, though.

I own a CT laser grip for my S&W 642 snubbie, and I love it. Bottom line, I prefer the laser grip, but if an already bulky grip is an issue, the Lasermax is best. If my G30 was slimmer, it would have a grip laser instead.